PHOTOS: When the gods marry on earth

PHOTOS: When the gods marry on earth

Over one million devotees visit the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai for Chitirai Thiruvizha which also celebrates the marriage of Lord Shiva to Meenakshi.

The Meenakshi Thirukalyanam (the divine marriage of Goddess Meenakshi) is a special event for Madurai residents.

On this day, several devotees throng the Meenakshi Amman Temple in the city to witness the celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi also known as Parvathi with Lord Sundareswarar or Shiva.

Every year, in the Hindu month of Chaitra (or Chitirai in Tamil) the temple authorities convert the shrine's premises into a wedding hall decorating it with colourful festoons, light arrangements, banana trees and mango leaves.

The celestial wedding ceremony is part of the annual Chitirai Thiruvizha (thiruvizha meaning festival in Tamil) which attracts huge crowds from all over the state.

Additional inputs from PTI

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Image: TherTiruvizha (a chariot festival) at Madurai is a part of Chitirai TiruvizhaPhotographs: Military karthick/Wikimedia Commons

PHOTOS: When the gods marry on earth

The Chitrai festival at the Meenakshi Amman temple which usually commences on the Tamil New Year (April 15 this year) lasts for nearly a fortnight.

It begins with the dhwajarohanam or kodiyettam. And, for the next eight days, the panchamoorthis (five deities) - (Vinayaka, Chandikeswara, Subramanya, Meenakshi and Sundareswara) tour the city on different vahanas (vehicles).

Image: An iconic statue inside the temple which depicts Lord Vishu handing over his sister Meenakshi in marriage to ShivaPhotographs: Suresh/Wikimedia Commons

PHOTOS: When the gods marry on earth

On the eighth day a procession of elephants and chariots transport the nuptial pair through the town streets and to the banks of the Vagai river to meet Meenakshi's brother Lord Kallalagar (an avatar of Vishnu) who is transported there from his hilltop abode at Algarkovil, outside Madurai.

Festivities include a spate of dramas depicting Meenakshi's life history.

Image: The Porthamarai Kulam (pond with the golden lotus) inside the temple is both sacred and significant for HindusPhotographs: Mohan Krishnan/Wikimedia Commons